Variations in Five Genes Raise Risk for Most Common Brain Tumors
Genomewide study finds first genetic factors in development of gliomas

HOUSTON – Common genetic variations spread across five genes raise a person’s risk of developing the most frequent type of brain tumor, an international research team reports online in Nature Genetics.

Genetic risk factors identified by the research team, led by scientists at The University of Texas M.D.Anderson Cancer Center and the Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom, also are the first glioma risk factors of any type identified in a large study.

Melissa Bondy, Ph.D. and Sanjay Shete, Ph.D.“This is a ground-breaking study because it’s the first time we’ve had a large enough sample to understand the genetic risk factors related to glioma, which opens the door to understanding a possible cause of these brain tumors,” said co-senior author Melissa Bondy, Ph.D., professor in M.D.Anderson’s Department of Epidemiology.

Bondy and colleagues expect their findings eventually to help identify people most at risk for the disease and to provide potential targets for treatment or prevention.

Gliomas, deadly tumors that form in the supportive tissue of the brain and spine, account for about 80 percent of all primary malignant brain tumors, with about 22,000 new cases annually in the United States and 13,000 deaths. They include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas and glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive, deadly and common glioma in adults.

Risk rises with each variation

The top variations in each of the five genes individually raise a person’s glioma risk by 18, 24, 27, 28 and 36 percent over someone without the variations. The team found the effects are independent of one another, so risk escalates with the number of genes involved. People with eight or more of the 14 risk variations discovered on the five genes have a three-fold risk of developing glioma.

Even though this is the largest genetic study of a rare cancer, and thus provides a high degree of statistical confidence in the findings, co-first author Sanjay Shete, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at M.D.Anderson, cautions that it’s too early to screen people for risk using these variations alone.

Additional research is needed on the genes involved and how variation affects their function and contributes to development of gliomas. And the disease is not solely genetic. A more comprehensive model that includes demographic and behavioral factors and environmental exposures will be needed to identify those at risk.

Bondy will be principal investigator on a multi-center research project that will examine the complex interplay of all of those factors in 6,000 glioma patients and 6,000 controls beginning next year. “We will be able to look at all of the potential risk and protective factors we’ve identified in much smaller studies over the years, such as exposure to ionizing radiation, allergies, infections, and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in a much larger study that will include the genes involved,” Bondy said.

Combing through 521,571 variations to find 14

Researchers from M. D. Anderson and the Institute of Cancer Research analyzed 521,571 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS) – points in the genome known to commonly vary from person to person – in 1,878 glioma patients and 3,670 controls. They discovered 34 SNPS with evidence of association with glioma.

These 34 were then analyzed in independent case-control studies in Germany, France and Sweden that examined 2,545 cases of glioma and 2,973 controls. The combined analysis winnowed the candidates down to 14 SNPS that mapped to five addresses in the genome.

The five genes identified, listed in descending order by their strongest effect, are:

• CCDC26, located on chromosome 8, modulates retinoic acid, which in turn increases programmed cell death in glioblastoma cells and reduces telomerase activity (see next).
• TERT, found on chromosome 5, is essential for telomerase activity that preserves telomeres, which are found on the ends of chromosomes and prevent them from unraveling. TERT expression in tumors has been associated with tumor grade and prognosis.
• CDKN2A, located on chromosome 9, regulates p14, which activates the tumor-suppressor p53. It also regulates cyclin-dependent kinases vital to the cell cycle. At least one copy of the gene is deleted in half of brain tumors, and loss of CDKN2A expression is associated with poor prognosis.
• RTEL1, found on chromosome 20, maintains genomic stability. Its chromosomal address is amplified in 30 percent of gliomas.
• PHLDB1, on chromosome 11, is commonly deleted in neuroblastoma but there is no evidence to date of a role for the gene in glioma.

The fact that four of the genetic variations found in a person’s genome point to a gene that has been associated in some way with the genome of the tumors is an encouraging sign, Shete said.

“I’ve been collecting families and case studies since the early 90s,” Bondy said. “We have only just begun to understand the causes of brain tumors. Our findings give reasons for hope for those who might be affected and an incentive for a more comprehensive investigation of what has been a mysterious disorder.”

The Wellcome Trust provided principal funding for the study. Additional sources include Cancer Research UK, the European Union, grants from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the American Brain Tumor Association and the National Brain Tumor Society.

Co-authors with Bondy and Shete are co-senior author Richard Houlston and co-first author Fay Hoskings, Lindsay B Robertson, Sara E Dobbins, and Amy Price, all of Section of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey. U.K.; Georgina Armstrong, Yanhong Liu, and Xiangjun Gu of M. D. Anderson’s Department of Epidemiology; Marc Sanson, Yannick Marie, Blandine Boisselier, Jean-Yves Delattre, Khe Hoang-Xuan, Soufiane El Hallani and Ahmed Idbaih, all of Service de Neurologie Mazarin et INSERM, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière in Paris; Beatrice Malmer, Ulrika Andersson and Roger Henriksson, of Department of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Sweden; Matthias Simon and Johannes Schramm of Neurochirurgische Universitätsklinik, Bonn, Germany; Diana Zelenika and Mark Lathrop of Centre National de Génotypage, Evry Cedex, France; Lathrop also is affiliated with Foundation Jean Dausett-CEPH, Paris; A Tommy Bergenheim, and Anders Ahlbom of Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Sweden; Maria Feychting of Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Stefan Lönn of the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Michael Linnebank of the Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Kari Hemminki and Rajiv Kumar both of the Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany; Sarah Hepworth of Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK; Kenneth Muir of the Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK; Minouk Schoemaker Section of Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK; and Ching Lau of Texas Children’s Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

About M.D.Anderson
The University of Texas M.D.Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. M.D.Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For four of the past six years, including 2008, M.D.Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “America's Best Hospitals,” a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.

(c)2009 The University of Texas M.D.Anderson Cancer Center

Book Review: Anticancer: A New Way of Life (Viking, 2008) by David Servan-Schreiber

Research Shows The Anticancer Diet Works by David Servan-Schreiber

Joanna Dolgoff--

Children today drink twice as much soda as they did 20 years ago, averaging as much as 20 ounces a day! A large soda not only provides tons of calories and sugar but it also includes at least 100 mg of caffeine. Many parents wouldn’t dream of giving their kids a cup of coffee yet routinely offer them soda, which contains caffeine as well. We also see many families hitting the local café or Starbucks for a café latte or mocha frappuccino loaded with the burst of ‘energy’ we call caffeine.

The truth is, caffeine is everywhere but it is wise to keep kids’ consumption of caffeine to a minimum.

How caffeine affects kids:

Caffeine is a stimulant and a drug that is naturally produced in the leaves and seeds of many plants. Caffeine can also be made artificially. Caffeine is considered a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system. The routine side is a feeling of alertness, but when taken in excess side effects may include:

1) Headaches

2) Difficulty concentrating

3) Jitteriness

4) Nervousness

5) Upset stomach

6) Difficulty sleeping

7) Increased heart rate

8) Increased blood pressure

9) Slight dehydration

10) Anxiety

11) Irritability

12) Muscle tremors

13) Nausea

14) Diarrhea

15) Shortened attention span

16) Increased risk of heart problems

Because caffeine’s effects are dependent on body weight, it does not take a lot of caffeine to produce side effects, especially for younger children. Younger kids are more also sensitive to caffeine because they haven’t been exposed to it as much as older kids or adults and have not yet developed a tolerance to its effects.

Beware of withdrawal:

If you decide to cut caffeine out of your diet all together don’t be surprised if you feel withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, muscle aches, and irritability, especially if you are used to consuming a lot. When I was in medical school, I relied on coffee to get me through my exams. Every vacation, I wound up in bed with severe headaches. I finally realized that I was suffering from caffeine withdrawal because I didn’t need the caffeine to give me energy to study and so I wasn’t drinking my usual amount of caffeine! I gave up caffeine and my headaches never returned.

Caffeine takes up to 6 hours to be excreted from the body through the urine, so side effects may last until removed from the body.

More reasons to limit kids’ caffeine consumption:

• Obesity: Kids who consume one or more 12-ounce sweetened soft drink per day are 60% more likely to be obese.
• Lack of nutrients: Most caffeinated drinks are loaded with empty calories and are high in sugar, but lack the nutrients kids need when growing. More kids are choosing soda over milk now days and are missing out on calcium which helps build bones and teeth.
• Tooth Decay: Drinking unhealthy drinks like sweetened beverages can lead to dental cavities from the high sugar content and can lead to erosion of the enamel from the high acidity content.
• ADHD: Large doses of caffeine can impact the attention span for children, especially for those diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Recommendations:

The United States has not developed guidelines for caffeine intake because many experts believe because there is not enough data to make any conclusive recommendations. The Canadian guidelines recommend that children 6 and under have no more than 45 milligrams of caffeine per day; 10 to 12 year olds have no more than 85 milligrams per day and adults have no more than 300 milligrams per day.

Foods and Beverages with Caffeine

There is no reason for children to drink or consume caffeinated products. One of the best ways to cut caffeine out of the diet is by not offering it at all. Eliminate soda all together and instead offer water, skim milk, or flavored seltzer. For an occasional treat try offering soda or tea but make sure it is decaffeinated.

Joanna Dolgoff, M.D. is a pediatrician whose practice solely deals with child and adolescent weight management. A graduate of Princeton University, she completed her education at NYU School of Medicine and finished her Pediatric Residency training at Columbia Presbyterian's Children's Hospital of New York. She has previously worked as a private practice pediatrician, helping children reach their weight loss goals. A Board Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Dolgoff is also the proud mother of two children. Click here to learn more about Dr. Dolgoff's Weigh Child and Adolescent Weight Management Program.

Sunmaid Yogurt Raisins Versus Raisinets

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

FRIDAY, July 3, 2009

 The show begins at 9:00 AM PST and 12:00 PM EST!

This week's radio show covers Food Lovers for Life, 
which includes both reducing the waistline and never 
being concerned with gaining the weight back. The focal 
point of this show is how to eat Holiday foods (e.g., 
July 4th, Thanksgiving, New Years) - traditional foods 
without getting off track of achieving your weight loss 
goals. In this show Robert hosts guests: 
Jason Love who is a master at keeping humor as part of 
our daily habits and Dawn McCarthy of Your Health Connection 
magazine. 

You can call in at (805) 639-0008 if you have questions. 
Live show goes from: 
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM Pacific and 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Eastern. 

Following the live radio show you will be able to listen to our
replay/podcast.

Click Here to listen live on Fat Loss Friday!

Oprah: The War On Her Weight

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

James Geiger M.D.--

What’s wrong with Tylenol? Take too much and you could end up with a liver transplant, if your “plan” will pay for it.

The FDA has issued Tylenol, also known as acetaminophen a black penalty box warning. That means take this warning seriously.

How can such a commonly taken, over the counter medication be just now labeled as unsafe? It has been know for years now that taking 4 grams daily without alcohol can cause a rise in liver transaminases. That danger is increased causing more damage to the liver when used in daily dosages higher than 7 grams and especially if taken with several alcohol drinks, think certain cold remedies. The evidence of 264 liver transplants required due to acetaminophen related liver failure is one significant study prompting the FDA to enact the black box warning. Acetaminophen is the most common drug causing acute liver failure in children in the U.S. and the U.K. The only acute treatment for acute acetaminophen toxicity is acetylcystine.

So what is the take home message….if you do not want to risk liver failure and liver transplant for your survival then be careful of the amount of acetaminophen you take. Take the black box warning on acetaminophen very seriously. Make CAM alternative choices. For instance, ginger is described as the universal medicine in ayurvedic therapies. Highly recommended for headache and migraine therapy.

There are numerous other rare but potentially serious adverse drug reactions which have earned black box warnings attributed to many different classes (antibiotic, antidepressants, antipsychotics) of drugs including antinausea medications. These adverse drug reactions range from mild confusion, dysphoria, headache, phlebitis, tics, torticolis, serotonin syndrome, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and alpha blockade alterations in blood pressure to potential life-threatening cardiac rhythm disturbances.

Succinylcholine is a neuromuscular blocker used to faciliate endotracheal intubation. There is an FDA black box warning on succinylcholine because co-existing conditions such as certain muscles disorders in children place them at increased risk of malignant hyperthermia.

Droperidol is the subject of a black box warning by the FDA (Habib and Gan, 2003). This controversial warning describes the rational for patients to have a normal Q-T interval documented by ECG prior to intravenous administration of droperidol. The risk of the malignant ventricular dysrhythmias, called torsades de pointes, associated with droperidol is also known to occur with several of the new selective blocking agents of the serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. This drug is commonly used by anesthesiologists.

Perhaps ginger oil Z. officinale could be considered an alternative for droperidol, even though one investigation failed to show antinausea benefit when droperidol even though one investigation failed to show antinausea benefit when droperidol was compared with powdered ginger root (Visalyuputra et al., 1998). The essential oil of ginger used topically at the time of surgery works great to prevent nausea. I apply to my anesthesia patients every day.

The King of Pop loved Propofol. It is a very good drug and very safe drug in the hands of an anesthesiologist. So is acetaminophen.

Dr. James L. Geiger is a board certified anesthesiologist practicing acute care anesthesia and clinical aromatherapy in Arizona. He completed residency at USC and Internship at St. Mary’s Center in San Francisco where he remained to perform cardiac anesthesia with his father, a Cardiothoracic surgeon, for 16 years. At St. Mary’s he developed and lectured on Fast Track Cardiac Anesthesia programs for early recovery from anesthesia and was chairman of the critical care committee. Currently Dr. Geiger is on staff at several medical centers, orthopedic hospitals and surgicenters where he has introduced therapy with essential oils into the operating and recovery rooms. Dr Geiger’s special interest is consulting in the development of patient services for Integrative Therapies and Medical Spa services which care for the needs of those seeking integrative treatments. Dr. Geiger’s speaking presentations are suitable for conventions, resorts, spas and business meetings worldwide. He is the author of The Sweet Smell of Success: Health and Wealth Secrets (LifeSuccess Publishing/ Feb 2009).

CSPI Urges FDA to Seize Stockpiles of Bayer One A Day for Men

Candy As Your Medicine

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Governors Urged to Block Sale of Untreated Gulf Coast Oysters

Deadly Vibrio Bacteria Common in Summer Months

WASHINGTON—The nation’s governors are being called upon to ban the sale of untreated oysters from the Gulf Coast since they are often contaminated with the deadly Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. For people with liver or kidney disease, AIDS, cancer, diabetes or other conditions that can compromise the immune system, Vibrio vulnificus kills half the people it infects. It has been causing about 15 deaths a year for many years.

In 2003, California banned the sale of untreated Gulf Coast oysters harvested in summer months and saw the number of vibrio-related deaths plummet from about 6 per year to zero in the five years since. Many safety-conscious retailers, such as Legal Sea Foods and Costco, only sell Gulf Coast oysters that have been processed with cold pasteurization, hydrostatic pressure, or another technology that can kill Vibrio vulnificus without affecting taste. Those and similar processes cost merely pennies per oyster.

“Letting untreated Gulf Coast oysters reach consumers this summer will needlessly sentence several of them to death,” said CSPI staff attorney Sarah Klein. “Unfortunately the Food and Drug Administration has abdicated its responsibility to ensure shellfish safety and instead lets the industry police itself with minimal oversight. That’s proven to be a deadly mistake.”

For the past eight years the FDA has relied on the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference to monitor food safety in shellfish. That group includes representatives of the FDA and other government agencies, but also includes representatives of the shellfish industry. It does not require that processors kill Vibrio vulnificus during the dangerous summer months. Under the ISSC framework, more than 125 people have died agonizing deaths from contaminated oysters and another 125 people suffered serious illnesses. Despite the failure of the ISSC to control Vibrio, FDA is poised to grant a three-year extension while the industry tries other techniques—such as changing refrigeration temperatures—rather than making effective changes.

“The Gulf Coast oyster industry has privately acknowledged that it has the capacity to perform post-harvest processing on 100 percent of their oysters, but refuse to do so until demand for treated product is clear,” wrote Klein to 49 governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia. “We urge you to require that only safe oysters be sold in your communities, an approach that will reduce medical costs and save lives.”

CSPI says untreated oysters harvested from Gulf Coast waters from April to October should be subject to state bans and, meanwhile, consumers should avoid consuming such oysters.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington, DC, that focuses on nutrition, food safety, and pro-health alcohol policies. CSPI is supported by the 900,000 U.S. and Canadian subscribers to its Nutrition Action Healthletter and by foundation grants.

Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough Recalled

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

By Kelly Jad'on

As Americans throng in lines waiting for a glimpse of music history, Michael Jackson’s body is prepared for a public viewing and his final journey home.

The American funeral business is a toxic one. Each year, 827,060 gallons of toxic embalming fluid (formaldehyde) are buried in the United States. We also bury tons of reinforced concrete to act as vaults for coffins and many many caskets, comprised of steel (104,272 tons buried per year), copper and bronze (2,700 tons per year) and 30 million board feet of hardwoods.

Mark Harris, author of Grave Matters (Simon & Schuster/ Dec 2008) writes, “We call our cemeteries parks and lawns and fields and greens. Yet the American graveyard hardly qualifies as a natural environment….Over time the typical ten-acre swatch of cemetery ground, for example, contains enough coffin wood to construct more than forty houses, nine hundred-plus tons of casket steel, and another twenty thousand tons of vault concrete. To that add a volume of formalin sufficient to fill a small backyard swimming pool and untold gallons of pesticide and weed killer to keep the graveyard preternaturally green.”

Currently no branch of the government is regularly testing ground waters surrounding cemeteries for formaldehyde pollution and there is no declared safety level for the chemical in drinking water. (Embalmers face a higher risk of leukemia and cancer of the brain and colon.)

Historically, humans have cremated and practiced natural burial for their dead. Up until about a hundred years ago, Americans did this too. The change began with the Civil War. Many men from the North were killed in the South, and families asked that their men’s remains be returned. Decaying bodies brought home the necessity of embalming. Arsenic, mercury and other chemicals were combined with good results. Later, Abraham Lincoln was shot in Washington, D.C., his body too was embalmed in a similar manner for the two-week train trip and several public viewings on his way home to Springfield, Illinois.

The practice of embalming took hold, families gave their dead over to an undertaker, and the funeral industry grew. Incidentally, both Islam and Judaism ban autopsy and embalming “on grounds that it constitutes the abuse of a corpse.” Previously, Christians had considered the two practices to be sacrilegious as well, citing that they desecrated the “human temple of God.” Though permission to embalm a body is required from the family, embalming is NOT required by state laws.

Mark Harris’s groundbreaking book, Grave Matters: A Journey Through The Modern Funeral Industry To A Natural Way of Burial explores greener options families have when thinking about how to best memorialize loved ones. Natural burial includes:

• Cremation—archaeologists have located urns of ashes “dating back to 1,500 B.C.E.” (Modern day Ukraine)
• The scattering of ashes at sea—July 22, 1999: John Kennedy Jr., his wife and sister-in-law “were cast from a warship” off of Martha’s Vineyard.
• Eternal Reefs—uses a reef ball with cremated remains mixed into its concrete; the family accompanies the ball to its final resting spot via boat; induces reef-building of native fauna
• Home funeral—bypasses embalming; the dead are laid out at home; excluded by law in New York, Connecticut, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan, Utah, and Louisiana.
• A plain pine box—you can make one yourself, buy from an internet outlet (shipped quickly), or from the funeral home. Harris writes that this service is even available through Costco. Exclusively sold by a funeral director only in Virginia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
• The backyard burial—Available on rural property; not allowed by law in California, Indiana, and Washington; the casket should be placed 150 or more feet away from the water supply, should be six feet below the ground and a good distance away from power lines/ underground cable.
• The natural cemetery—embalmed bodies are banned; now turning green, hybrid burial grounds which are traditional cemeteries with green burial areas.

Many times, directions for a funeral has not been prearranged, and the process simply follows tradition and an emotional undertaking by the immediate family. For Michael Jackson, who leaves behind not just adoring fans, but also three children, several siblings, and his two parents, the decisions regarding his autopsies and embalming have probably been the most difficult the Jackson family have ever encountered. And how Michael will be viewed and interred, these are purely family matters of the heart.

Legal Drugs Kill More Than 100,000 Americans Each Year

The Truth Behind Michael Jackson’s Death

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

By Kelly Jad'on

Recently, I asked the man who is hailed by a New York Times reporter as someone who has quietly become “one of the most influential people in America,” about his personal history and how it influenced his new best-seller--The Noticer. Andy Andrews is a best-selling novelist and in-demand corporate speaker for the world’s largest organizations. He has spoken at the request of four different U.S. presidents and at military bases worldwide. He is best known as the author of the international bestseller The Traveler’s Gift, which has sold more than a million copies worldwide and has been translated into 20 languages since it was released in 2002. Andy is also the author of The Lost Choice, Island of Saints and Return to Sawyerton Springs. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his wife Polly and their two sons.

Andy--You've said that "We are all in a crisis, coming out of a crisis or headed for a crisis." How do we overcome "crisis mode" and live life with hope?

Perspective! During a crisis, it is always necessary to gather the proper perspective about your situation. Perspective brings calm; calm leads to clear thinking; clear thinking yields ideas; and ideas Andy Andrews--Author of The Noticerreveal answers! An answer I received during one of my most desperate times was what Jones related to Mrs. Callaway in The Noticer. He called it...The Proof of Hope:

If you are still breathing, then you are still here.

If you are still here, that means you haven't accomplished what you were put here to do.

If you haven't accomplished what you were put here to do, then obviously, the most important part of your life has yet to be lived.

If the most important part of your life has yet to be lived, then your very purpose has not yet been fulfilled.

If your purpose has not been fulfilled, that means the most important part of your life is ahead of you!

If the most important part of your life is ahead of you, then it truly does not matter how old you are or how sick you are or how broke you are or how depressed you might feel...

By the virtue of the very fact that you sit here and breathe, this is proof that there is more success ahead of you, more laughter, more friends to influence, more children to teach. There is more! There is proof of hope!

Andy, you are called "One of the most influential people in America." What makes you so?

Well, first of all, I did not call myself that.. Actually, I am just trying to be the most influential person in my house! But if indeed I do have any influence on people whom I do not know, it is probably because of my lifelong, somewhat successful, search for wisdom that is useful (and usable) to the average person.

As a young adult, I spent some time homeless, scared, and bitter. My personal story is compelling and not because I have become any great or huge success, but because I have come to understand how important that tough time was in shaping who I have become. At whatever stage of life we find ourselves, "choice" is the actual motor that moves our situation from bad to good--or vice versa. With my books and speaking, I have concentrated for many years on helping people gain the wisdom that will allow them to make great choices.

Your parents' deaths profoundly affected you, leaving you down and homeless. I too felt depressed after my own father's passing not long ago. What catalyst pulled you out of that pit of despair?

Through guidance from an old man named Jones, who inserted himself into my life at that critical point, I began to understand that the legacy my parents left to me was not one of sadness, bitterness, or depression. My parents were joyful and effective people who worked and sacrificed their entire lives to raise children who did not act like I was acting. I knew they would not have been proud of the choices I had made that led me to an existence under that pier. And they would not be proud of the choice I was making to remain in that place.

I realized that I was not "given" a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. I appreciated my parents enough to make myself act in a proper manner until I actually felt like doing it!

Who or what does the main character Jones in The Noticer symbolize?

Are you an English teacher? I don't think I have written a paragraph on "symbolism" since high school!

{Laughing}...Yes Andy...That's my original occupation...High School English 101!

Ha! But if I must answer...First, Jones was a real person. The opening chapter of The Noticer is true. But in the rest of the book, I used the character of Jones as a symbol of the nature that God has placed in each of us when we allow ourselves to value, help, and encourage each other. I believe Jones was and is an example of how the Holy Spirit uses people to encourage other people!

Every single one of us can be a "Jones" to someone else. We are all able and equipped in some way to guide someone else out of crisis--whether that crisis is financial, emotional, or self-inflicted. Remember: You have not been created with a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind!

The Noticer Project allows people around the world to publicly "notice" online fine people who have made a positive impact on their lives. Which five people made a profound impact on your life?

In no particular order--

• My mom and dad
• Dick and Kathy Rollins of Columbus, MS..who loved and cared about me even when I was not loving or caring.
• Mrs. Edna McLoyd of Dothan, AL..my eighth grade English teacher who was the first teacher to encourage me to be funny and wise and thoughtful--and to write it down!
• My wife, Polly, who has been patient enough with me (during more than 20 years) to allow me to come to some conclusions on my own. She continues to be a great example of loyalty and patience.
• Robert D. Smith, my manager and friend, who has been a "Jones" in my life for my entire career.

Andy, in a time when the world is radically changing, how will the perspective gleaned from The Noticer enhance the reader's life?

In the book, Jones deals effectively with marriage and relationship issues, finances, depression, ethics, teenager's questions about dating, and a host of other challenges we encounter in our lives. Don't forget: We are all in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or headed for a crisis--that's just part of being with us on this planet!

Some might scoff and say, "You can't change your life in 150 pages...it's just not that simple." But Jones would offer you a different "perspective."

"Oh yes, you can," Jones would say. "You can change your life in a heartbeat. Because it's just not that complicated.

You might ask, "But doesn't it take a long time--sometimes years--to really change?"

Jones would answer, "No! Change is immediate. Sometimes it takes years to decide to change. It may even take years to want to change...but 'change' my friend, happens in a heartbeat!"

One may spend decades wondering and asking and reading. We can spend years hiding and denying and accusing. But when we finally see and understand the truth--when we at last hear the answer--something in our mind, spirit, and soul rises up, accepts that truth and declares, "Life, for me, will never be the same!"

In that instant, your view of yourself, other people, and the entire world has changed! And from that point forward, life as you know it, is never again the same!

Thank you Andy.  Continued success to you and your new book--The Noticer.

The Noticer: Sometimes, All a Person Needs is a Little Perspective (Thomas Nelson/ Apr 2009) by Andy Andrews

An Interview With Talk Show Host and Mother Ricki Lake

Exclusive Interview With Matt Amsden: Sex Symbol of the Raw Vegan World

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Reviewed By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic

BOOK REVIEW: Drugged Up America and How to Overcome It Explored in What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know

Once upon a time, drug companies promised drugs to treat disease. Now it is often just the opposite. They promote diseases to fit their drugs. -- Marcia Angell, M.D., former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and author of The Truth About Drug Companies

As I sat down at my computer to review Dr. Michael T. Murray's What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know (Atria Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint, 352 pages, $25), the news of Michael Jackson's death at the age of 50 came blasting out of the broadcast and print channels.

Another Dr. Murray -- no relation to Michael Murray -- Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's 51-year-old personal physician -- figures in the torrent of words about the death in Los Angeles of the so-called "King of Pop." Reuters reported that the death of the music and cultural icon from cardiac arrest on June 25 "has raised a host of questions about what might have caused it [the cardiac arrest]....One possible cause reported by celebrity website TMZ.com is that he was injected with the potent painkiller Demerol before he went into cardiac arrest. Others speculate it was a combination of Demerol and Oxycontin, another powerful painkiller that is among the most commonly abused prescription drugs."

(Here's a link to a New York Times story focusing on the possible role of medication in Michael Jackson's death: "Medication is a Focus of Jackson Inquiry")

Author Murray, one of the nation's leading practitioners and authorities on natural medicine, argues in his well-documented work that much of our current health crisis was created by the pharmaceutical and medical industries. He offers a practical guide to holistic treatments that he believes are a better alternative to the plethora of drugs offered to treat the most common diseases that plague our society -- drugs that he says are often not only ineffective, but result in serious, widespread side effects -- "the existence of which is frequently hidden from the public."

In between news coverage of Michael Jackson's death and the seizure by the Los Angeles Police Department of Dr. Conrad Murray's silver BMW, I saw a TV ad for a prescription drug that promises women richer, fuller eyelashes...A classic example of a drug created for what I believe is a non-existent disease.

Author Murray demonstrates to my satisfaction how a nationwide dependence on pills has hobbled heath in the U.S. -- a nation that, according to the World Health Organization, is 24th in terms of life expectancy -- and has resulted in a national wellness epidemic as lifestyle, ignorance, and politics collide in our medicine cabinets.

WHO says Americans use more than 40 percent of all the prescription drugs produced in the world each year, Murray writes. This is at a time when adverse reactions to over-the-counter and prescription drugs are estimated to kill more than 100,000 Americans a year -- the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. behind cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Younger readers might be surprised to learn that there was a time when prescription drug advertising was prohibited on TV, radio and in general circulation publications. Today, drug companies -- Big Pharma -- spend twice as much on marketing as they do on research and development, Murray writes.

With about 700,000 practicing physicians in the U.S., Murray cites statistics that the drug industry spends about $60,000 in marketing dollars per physicians per year -- a whopping $57.5 billion a year. Many of these dollars are spent on the detail people -- the Ken and Barbie types -- who call on doctors throughout their work week. A physician friend of mine with a psychiatric practice in Beckley, West Virginia once told me he had to ration the appointments of drug detail sales people because he had run out of time to devote to his patients.

As the recipient of a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University near Seattle, Murray is oriented to natural medicine and products like St. John's wort extract, saw palmetto berry extract, glucosamine sulfate and fish oil -- among many others -- but he is not totally opposed to the use of antibiotics and other medicines. He is just opposed to the overdosing that he believes is endemic in American medicine. As a believer in alternative treatments, especially acupuncture and chiropractic, I'm inclined toward Murray's message.

Among the gems in the book are:

* During the past 50 years drug costs have sky rocketed at a rate five times the inflation rate

* Oral medications to treat Type 2 diabetes don't alter the long-term development of the disease

* Drugs like Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac contribute to obesity, but weight gain is not listed as a common side effect of these drugs

* It is estimated that 70 percent of patients with chronic daily headaches suffer from drug induced headaches

* * *

Murray suggests a seven-step program to "vibrant" health:

Step 1: Incorporate spirituality into your life

Step 2: Develop a positive mental attitude

Step 3: Focus on establishing positive relationships

Step 4: Follow a healthy lifestyle

Step 5: Be active and get regular physical exercise

Step 6: Eat a health-promoting diet

Step 7: Support your body through proper nutritional supplementation and body work

What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know rang true to me because I'm a believer in less is more when it comes to drugs. Those seeking a practical guide to the natural treatments that could revolutionize both your health and the well-being of the entire nation will find Murray's book an excellent guide to a healthy life, free from the poisonous effects of drugs that aren't needed.

About the author: Michael T. Murray is the author of more than 20 books on natural alternatives to health and well being and is currently a director of product development and education for Natural Factors, a major manufacturer of nutritional and herbal supplements. His website is: www.doctormurray.com

What The Drug Companies Won’t Tell You And Your Doctor Doesn’t Know: The Alternative Treatments That May Change Your Life—And The Prescriptions That Could Harm You (Atria Books/ 2009) by Michael T. Murray N.D.

Was Michael Jackson Addicted to Prescription Drugs?

The Truth Behind Michael Jackson’s Death

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

New Evidence Undermines Bayer’s Prostate Health Claims

WASHINGTON—For most men with prostate cancer, the dietary supplement selenium may promote more aggressive cases of the disease, according to a new study. Besides being bad news for men who have taken selenium in the hope of avoiding prostate cancer, the study comes at an inconvenient time for Bayer Healthcare, which was notified recently that it will be sued if it continues to claim that the selenium in its One A Day vitamins for men reduces risk of the disease or otherwise benefits the prostate.

Today, the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a formal complaint with the Food and Drug Administration over the various prostate claims on One A Day’s labeling. The claim that the selenium in One A Day Men’s Health Formula reduces the risk of prostate cancer gives the product the status of an unapproved drug, and is therefore illegal. Even the more general claim Bayer uses to promote that and another men’s supplement that selenium “supports prostate health” is deceptive and illegal since it is unsubstantiated by scientific evidence and implies that the product can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. No published studies have investigated whether selenium helps or hurts when it comes to the only other common prostate problem, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate. CSPI says the FDA should seize existing stockpiles of the deceptively labeled products until the company corrects the labels.

Coincidentally, on June 19, the FDA authorized a very negatively worded “qualified health claim” which Bayer is unlikely to use, according to CSPI. It reads:

Two weak studies suggest that selenium intake may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. However, four stronger studies and three weak studies showed no reduction in risk. Based on these studies, FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely that selenium supplements reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Even if Bayer wanted to use that new claim, it could not since it only applies to a certain form of selenium, selenomethionine. Bayer uses the selenite form of the mineral in One A Day pills.

To prevent consumers from being misled, CSPI said that FDA must halt not only the claim that selenium reduces the risk of cancer, but also the milder claim about supporting prostate health. CSPI says that “supports prostate health” is deceptive because there’s no good evidence to support it.

On June 18, besides notifying Bayer of a potential lawsuit, CSPI filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over Bayer’s advertising. Some of the leading prostate cancer researchers in the country wrote the FTC in support of CSPI’s complaint. Bayer has yet to respond to CSPI’s demand letter, but news reports indicate that the company may already be retreating from claiming selenium reduces risk of prostate cancer, but has not promised to remove the more generally deceptive claims concerning “prostate health.”

In the latest study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco looked at men with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer, and found more aggressive cases of cancer in men with high selenium blood levels and the V genotype for an antioxidant enzyme found in most cells. Seventy-five percent of men have the V genotype; only 25 percent of men have the AA genotype which seems to reduce their risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The findings “indicate caution against broad use of selenium supplementation for men with prostate cancer,” the authors wrote.

Yet another study, this one published this month in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, found that men with higher blood selenium levels were more likely to have hypertension than men with lower blood selenium levels.

The most ambitious examination ever conducted to see if selenium prevents prostate cancer, the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), was actually halted early when researchers discovered that besides not preventing prostate cancer, selenium supplements might have been causing diabetes in the men assigned to take it.

“Bayer must be stopped from promoting its selenium-containing products as a means of reducing prostate cancer risk and promoting prostate health,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt. “Not only does selenium not prevent cancer, supplementation with selenium may be harmful.”

Bayer is a repeat offender when it comes to misleading claims on labeling and advertising, according to CSPI. In 2007, it paid a $3.2 million fine as part of a consent decree reached with the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice over weight-loss claims made in connection with another One A Day product. Bayer is also running a $20-million corrective advertising campaign about its birth control pill Yaz at the behest of the FDA and a number of state attorneys general.

“By violating the terms of the FTC consent decree, Bayer could be held in contempt of court,” said CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner. “The FTC should penalize Bayer substantially, and require corrective advertising. In addition, the FDA should coordinate with the FTC to stop all claims that fall within its jurisdiction.”

In separate letters, today, the CSPI urged Major League Baseball and the Prostate Cancer Foundation to stop lending their names to a promotional campaign for Bayer One A Day. Bayer and MLB jointly contribute $10 to the foundation for every strikeout thrown by a major league pitcher. The amount of money that the charity stands to gain in a typical season, then, would be in the $350,000 ballpark, in all likelihood a small fraction of the profits that Bayer rakes in from the deceptive labeling and advertising.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington, DC, that focuses on nutrition, food safety, and pro-health alcohol policies. CSPI is supported by the 900,000 U.S. and Canadian subscribers to its Nutrition Action Healthletter and by foundation grants.

Bayer Ads Misleading Men About Prostate Cancer, Says CSPI

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

By Kelly Jad'on

Ricki Lake is a talk show host, an actress, and a mother. It is this last title which has led her, with coauthor and filmmaker Abby Epstein, to create the film The Business of Being Born. In doing so, they aim to raise awareness of the choices women have in preparing for their birth experiences.  The film is followed with their book, Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices and Take Back the Birth Experience (Grand Central Pub--Wellness Central/ May 2009). Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein hope to empower American women with their own research and through the experiences of other women. Here Ricki explains the origins of the book and tells about her own children's births.

Ricki--You’ve coauthored with Abby Epstein, a thoroughly in depth book, Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience, what was the catalyst for its inception?

Ricki Lake and Abby EpsteinAfter screenings of The Business of Being Born, Abby and I would field questions from the audience that were very basic. Like "What is the difference between a midwife and a doula?" We realized there was a need for more information to follow up the movie and that a good book didn't exist which covered all today's birth options.

Why are American women fearful of the birth experience?

Our culture promotes a lot of fear around all natural events, whether it's birth, death or hurricanes! American women are no different than women from many other cultures who pass down terrifying birth stories which focus on the pain and agony. We also have a lot of media and television shows which promote birth as a dangerous, medical event. But mostly, I think American women are fearful because birth takes place behind closed doors and so most women have never witnessed other women giving birth first hand. There is a deep fear of the unknown.

How can more knowledge about birthing options empower a woman in her birth-making decisions?

Knowledge is power. If you don't know you have any options, you can't even ask for them. If you aren't properly informed you won't be able to participate in the decision-making process. You'll be at the mercy of your doctor--and having to blindly trust everything everyone else says about your body and your birth.

Why is this information essential?

If a woman has a negative or traumatic birth experience, it will stay with her the rest of her life. We get hundreds of emails from women who just wished that they had known more the first time around. They say that they wouldn't have been too quick to agree to everything the hospital suggested and may have been able to avoid a c-section or other interventions. Also many women don't realize how their birth experience can impact the success of their breastfeeding and their early bonding with the baby.

Your Best Birth complements your film, The Business of Being Born. How has the film opened the eyes of the public, specifically for women, about how babies are birthed in the USA?

I think the film was a watershed for many women and men. Most people had absolutely no idea what goes on in American birth culture and had no idea that there was any other way to have a baby other than by what they saw on television.

Ricki—you’ve given birth to two sons—Milo, born in a birthing center and Owen, born at home. These were very different environments. What were the positive aspects of Owen’s home birth? Were there any drawbacks?

Both of my births were empowering and amazing experiences. With Owen, the best part was that everything was on my terms and I felt I could really give him a beautiful gift by bringing him into the world in such a gentle way. There were no drawbacks for me!

Name the top three points to discuss with an obstetrician after finding out that you are pregnant.

I would ask what the OB's attitude toward natural birth is, and find out what his/her rates are for c-sections and epidurals. This will tell you something about the philosophy of the doctor and how open-minded he or she is.

About Ricki Lake:
Actress, producer, filmmaker and author Ricki Lake has reinvented herself at every stage of her 20 year career. Lake has gone from starring in the 80s classic Hairspray to hosting the long-running Ricki Lake talk show for 11 years—while continuing to star in feature films and appear in television projects. Lake has again evolved her career—this time to include birth advocate, documentarian and author with the recent releases of the critically-acclaimed film The Business of Being Born and pregnancy guide, Your Best Birth. Proving that her entertainment influence will always be multi-hyphenated, she presently hosts and executive produces the Vh1 hit series, Charm School with Ricki Lake.

About Abby Epstein:
Director and Producer Abby Epstein helmed the acclaimed documentary The Business of Being Born, executive produced by Ricki Lake. The success of the film inspired Abby and Ricki’s recent book, Your Best Birth. Abby made her film directing debut at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival with the documentary feature, Until the Violence Stops. On Broadway, Abby spent four years as the resident director of the musical RENT, overseeing the London premiere and two National Tours. She directed RENT in Mexico City, Barcelona and Madrid. Off Broadway, Abby directed over 100 celebrity actresses in The Vagina Monologues along with the National tour and premieres in Toronto and Mexico City.

Book Review: Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience (Grand Central Pub-Wellness Central/ May 2009) by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein

Ricki Lake Launches Exclusive Celebrity Webisode Series: MyBestBirth.com

Copyright © 2006-2009, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.